


Starbound: The Last Protector

by BuildGlines



Category: Starbound (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 15:04:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12345066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuildGlines/pseuds/BuildGlines
Summary: Wesley Smith is a military engineer enrolled at the Terrene Protectorate academy. When an unknown organism changes his life forever, a single radio message leads him towards an adventure that concerns the fate of the universe.





	1. Prolouge

Long ago in the galaxy, there was a force known as the Cultivator. The Cultivator was a deity of power whose presence maintained balance and harmony in the universe for several eons. But this peace was shattered by a being, one of hate and destruction. It was the Ruin. The Ruin could not abide life in any form, and reaped destruction upon the universe, seeking to blot out all kinds of life. The Cultivator rose against the Ruin, and succeeded in sealing it away in a remote place where it could do no harm. But in doing so, the Cultivator had sacrificed its power completely, causing the Cultivator to fade away into the stars. Before its last energies dissipated, the Cultivator gifted six chosen races with precious artifacts. Avian, the devout wingless birds; Floran, the carnivorous plant hunters; Apex, the technologically advanced Apes; Hylotl, the philosophical amphibians; Glitch, the medieval robots; and Human, a race capable of almost anything, but mostly harmless.

Several years have passed and the meaning of the artifacts have been lost to the chosen races, as they concern themselves with more important matters.

Avian society was united under a single deity figure, named Kluex. Their beliefs, centered around priests named Stargazers, include bloody sacrifices to their Winged God of the Aether to ‘liberate’ them of their mortal prison. This divinity and theology does not sit well with some Avians, as some have rejected the Stargazer’s teachings, and in turn, Kluex. The name of these unbelievers are known to others as ‘Grounded’ Avians.

Floran tribes dot the landscape of several planets, following the guidance of a Greenfinger, who is seen as their tribal leader. Several of these Greenfingers have tried to push Florans towards more civilized, and less savage practices. Despite this, Floran hunters and cannibals are still common around the galaxy and usually considered dangerous when encountered. These hunters have been the grief of many races, including the Hylotls.

Apex society was threatened by an unknown waterborne pathogen. As quickly as this pathogen was identified, a newly formed organization called the Miniknog came forward with a vaccination called the Vestigi-Evo Process (VEP). This vaccination was widely distributed throughout all Apex settlements, along with the Miniknog’s social restructure. A grand figure only known as ‘Big Ape’ now presides over all of Apex society. Because of this, Rebel cells revolting against Big Ape and his Miniknog regime arose throughout several cities and colonies, causing an upheaval throughout Apex society.

Hylotls allegedly have had a major conflict between Florans, the previously described hunter plants. For their race’s own safety, they migrated away from land and into oceans, where they constructed grand underwater cities. Hylotl society still thrives as can be seen by their art, science, and philosophy. Most Hylotls currently do not hold any hostilities against the Florans, despite their near extinction by their hands. Hylotls are proud of their ability to find peaceful solutions to issues, which can sometimes make them seem prideful, or arrogant, which can cause some additional tension between races. The Hylotl race is also the creator of the Letheia Corporation, which boasts several services from Space Travel, to Furnishing, to Media.

Glitch continue in their medieval simulation, following a course of history once thought long gone with Kingdoms rising and falling, again, and again, and again. Some Glitch have ‘awakened’ and have escaped from their original programming, becoming self-aware and at the cost of being shunned, ridiculed, and outcast from their own Kin.

Humans, with a pursuit of unity and peace, established an organization called the Terrene Protectorate. Established on Earth, the Protectorate is a coalition of races on the goal towards universal peace and unity. Their services offer aid to the vulnerable and sanctuary to those living in fear. The Protectorate endeavors to educate, protect, and support all those seek help from the organization.

This Protectorate has stood for over 500 years, and its graduates have changed lives and cultures throughout the galaxy. One upcoming graduate’s name is Wesley Smith, a renowned Military Engineer in the academy who has expressed interest in the Matter Manipulator, the Symbol of the Terrene Protectorate and a marvel of environmental and architectural engineering.

Today is his graduation.


	2. Graduation

_Wake up…_

It was late morning, with sunlight shining through the windows of Dormitory B. The Dormitory in question was empty save a single figure who was still cuddled in bed, trying to shield himself from the approaching sunlight. He was human in nature, brown hair, green eyes, and perfectly tanned skin.

_Wake up. You are oversleeping._

The unmistakable voice of an AI came from a wristwatch wrapped around the human’s upper arm. “Oversleeping...?” the human muttered, “How late am I? Did I miss the ceremony-” he paused as he looked at his wristwatch, “I’ve still got time…”  
Slowly he made his way out of bed, still in his underclothes. He slowly made his way to a dresser to get dressed.

_Good morning graduate! You have overslept. Currently it is 1 hour until the Graduation Ceremony. Remember, as requested by Grand Protector Leda Portia, you, Wesley Smith, are expected to be present at least 30 minutes before the ceremony to represent the new class of graduates._

“Yeah,” he responded quickly, “because I’m somehow one of the most popular graduates in the academy.” Wesley said irritably, “I don’t think anybody wanted this much popularity, especially for somebody like me.” He continued while slipping on a blue shirt and Jeans. “How the heck did I oversleep?” He wondered. “The party didn’t go on that long, did it?” Wesley thought for a bit. “Did somebody spike my drink at the party?” he said to himself.

Wesley never consumed any alcoholic beverages at the academy. The reason behind this was common gossip about the graduates. Some thought this was because he had gone through rigorous Military training several years prior, outside the academy. His past military experience was true, but this provided no evidence on why he avoided alcohol.

Wesley walked out of his dorm still rubbing his eyes, looking for his locker between the lines of lockers decorating the walls.

_Your uniform is available to collect from your personal locker... It is quite impressive that you can remain so serene when you are running so late. Well done you._

Wesley scowled at that last statement. “If I had known I’d wake up this late, I would have never attended that party yesterday!” he yelled, blatant irritation spreading on his face. Fortunately, Wesley’s locker was easy to find as somebody had left a flyer of the Graduation Ceremony with his proud looking face on it. Opening his locker, he was greeted with his blue, standard issue Protectorate Uniform. He hardly had time to go back into his dorm to change into it, so he just slipped it on over his casual clothing.

He started making his way to the Main Hall, where the Graduation Ceremony took place, greeting people he met along the way. He saw several different students, Apexes, Hylotls, Avians, and the occasional Florans. The only Glitch he saw on his way was the Dormitory janitor, who grumbled to himself no matter who or what was around him.

On his way to the grand hall he passed by the Garden outside the hall, where at the center of the Garden stood a giant tree with soft pink blossoms and wind chimes hanging on a few branches. Wesley stood there for a moment in awe. This tree was a grand symbol of the Protectorate’s strength and dignity, as others have said the tree is older than the Protectorate itself!

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice said to Wesley.

Wesley turned his head toward the sound to see a female Hylotl sitting on a bench. The Hylotl wore a sleeveless purple top and had a pink kimono skirt. Her scales were colored pink with her scales being colored white below her mouth. She had three red-orange fins behind her head, one near and the other two symmetrically aligned behind her jaw. She also had three red eyes arranged in a triangular pattern, a typical trait of a Hylotl.

"Sit with me for a moment and let us enjoy these beautiful blossoms." She said, offering a place next to her on the bench. Wesley obliged her request and took his seat next to her.

A brief moment of silence passed until she said, “Some situations call for haste, but don't let life's small moments pass unappreciated.” Wesley realized she must have seen Wesley in a hurry to get to the main hall. He took a moment to understand what she was saying specifically to him and then nodded to her in response. The two of them sat in peaceful silence, watching the blossoms flow away from the tree and listening to the sound the chimes made in the slight breeze.

That is, until his wristwatch started beeping loudly. Both Wesley and the Hylotl jumped at the sudden noise. “Sorry,” Wesley apologized as he scrambled to look at his watch, “I have to be in the Grand Hall for the Graduation ceremony soon...” He said standing up from the bench.

“Don’t be sorry, Go.” The Hylotl said while making a hand signal to usher him along. “Before you leave, i wanted to say that I’m glad you were able to find time to open your mind to the beauty of this tree.” Wesley nodded at her again and turned to leave. As Wesley walked away, he overheard the Hylotl reciting a haiku to herself, which he supposed she had been making while sitting there.

_Chimes in the great tree._

_Windy songs of coming change._

_Fleeting petals fall._

If only he knew how strongly and quickly the winds of change were going to blow…

 

* * *

 

“You’re really cutting it close Wesley,” an Apex said to Wesley outside the entrance to the Grand Hall. “Leda Portia is waiting for you at the Podium.”

“Thanks.” Wesley responded as he stepped into the Grand Hall. First appearance may make it look like an auditorium with the number of seats. What made the Grand Hall earn its name were the banners lining each side of the Hall. Two banners displayed the Protectorate symbol, while the six other banners represented various symbols, one for each race that existed at the academy, past, and present. A metal stage with a single podium overlooked the currently empty seats of the Grand Hall. The podium was wooden with small platform from behind the podium. The Protectorate symbol was imprinted on the front of the podium.

Wesley found Leda Portia standing at the podium overlooking some paperwork. When she saw Wesley approaching, she placed the papers down on the top of the podium, giving him her full attention. “Wesley Smith! I’m glad you could make it here!” she said enthusiastically. Wesley began to try to explain his lateness until Leda stopped Wesley by putting her hand up, causing him to apologize.

“Wesley," Leda started, "Today is a grand day for the Protectorate,” she continued, “Do you know what happens after the Ceremony today?”

Wesley nodded, “As new Graduate Cadets of the Terrene Protectorate Academy, we get issued a Matter Manipulator, right?” said Wesley.

“Right! But that’s not the only thing.”

“What other thing is there?”

“With a Matter Manipulator, you are provided access to Official Protectorate assignments!” Leda said with a look of wonder in her eyes. “This is what you’ve been studying, using your newly learned skills to carry out the Protectorate Code- do you remember the Code is?” She asked Wesley.

He nodded, “Accept any race, class, or religion. Offer homes, guidance, education, and safety. Be a symbol of Unity and Harmony.”

Reciting this brought small clap out of Leda. “Very good! I can see why the High Protectors favor you so!” She said.

“Yes- about that,” Wesley began, “Why does everyone think of me so highly? I’m only a simple Military engineer looking for a well-paying job. I really haven’t done anything of note...”

Leda smiled and shook her head, “And that, Graduate, is why you’re so well received.” “You’re humble, caring, and always willing to listen to others. The faculty and students love to see you attend classes and events. Many people have said you’re a great leader and friend. Also, your exceptional skill at structural engineering makes it seem you were meant to hold a Matter Manipulator!” Leda proudly said.

Wesley was taken aback at this sudden influx of praise from the Grand Protector. “I guess I never planned to be noticed like this.”

Leda smiled, “I’m glad you were noticed, the Protectorate could use somebody like you…” she trailed off as her eyes moved to a clock in the Grand Hall. “Goodness me!” She exclaimed, “it’s nearly time for the ceremony! Do you know where you sit?” She asked Wesley, who shook his head in response. “There should be a seat for you in the front row, hurry now!” She said ushering him along.

Graduates were already pouring into the Grand Hall, talking to each other and taking their seats. Wesley found his seat in the front row near a male Floran. “Floran sssaw you talking to the Grand Protector, what did ssshe say to you?” the Floran asked.

“She-” Wesley tried to find a good explanation other than ‘she praised me’. “She told me what i was to do in the Ceremony.” This of course was a lie, but the Floran accepted it. Besides, Wesley knew Leda expected him to do something during the Ceremony.

The lights in the Grand Hall dimmed and students shushed each other in response. A single spotlight showed on Leda as she prepared to speak. "My fellow Protectors... Today we come together to witness the Protectorate grow." she said, looking out towards the mass of students watching her. “For over 500 years we have stood proud here on Earth, drawing together races of all kinds in the name of peace.”

“Our task: to protect our fellow beings; to support, house, and educate those that seek our aid, and to foster accord between those that aspire to it.”

“Today, in the name of peace, we welcome our newest compatriots, all lead by the Academy’s newest prodigy, Wesley Smith!” this statement brought a loud round of applause from the student body. Unsure of what he was meant to do, Wesley stood up from his seat and walked up onto the stage near Leda Porter.

“It is my pleasure today to present to Wesley, and all of you, with our greatest tool…” she held up a device in her left arm, a device she had somehow put on while Wesley was sitting down. “The Matter Manipulator!”

At that moment, time seemed to stop. Wesley felt the ground rumble, looking around, he tried to figure out where the shaking came from. His eyes caught Leda’s face, who looked just as confused as he was. “Huh? What was that?” After she had finished her words, the rumbling intensified until several red tentacles burst out everywhere, through the walls, ceiling, and through the entire student body.

Several students were flung away, sending them screaming and yelling. Leda and Wesley witnessed the carnage with shocked eyes. "Wha- What the..." Leda said, seeing the new generation of Cadets being thrown around like leaves in the wind. Suddenly, another tentacle burst out from underneath the podium, knocking Wesley backward and grabbing Leda Portia. Leda looked towards Wesley, who was trying to stand back up on his feet. “Wesley!” She yelled, “Take the Manipulator and run!” Leda threw the device she had at Wesley, “Get to safety!” Wesley blinked, and she was gone.

 

* * *

 

Wesley’s wristwatch beeped loudly, _It is not safe to remain here!_ The AI voice in his watch exclaimed, _You must proceed to the shuttle pad!_ Wesley didn’t waste a single moment. In full sprint, he dashed out of the Grand Hall, leaving the carnage behind him. As he exited the hall his AI reminded him, _Use the Matter Manipulator dropped by the Grand Protector - it will be essential to your survival!_

“How the heck do I even use this thing?!” Wesley exclaimed, “I thought I was going to be taught how to use it after the Ceremony!” Fiddling with the Manipulator as he ran, Wesley tried to garner how exactly it worked. He skidded to a stop when he saw a giant pile of dirt blocking his way.

_It appears the ceiling has collapsed._

“I can see that clearly!” Wesley yelled.

_The Matter Manipulator can be used to clear this dirt._

“But- how?!” Wesley said, turning his attention to the device. Frantically trying to find something of use, he discovered a button with a symbol of a pickaxe on it. Wesley assumed meant the main function of the device.

“Let’s hope this works…” he said, aiming the device at the dirt pile. When he pulled the trigger on the device, an electric beam of energy extended from the device, moving towards the dirt. The energy beam hit the pile of dirt, reforming them into condensed blocks.

“This is cool!” Wesley said, “Who even needs a shovel anymore?”

After working his way through the dirt pile, Wesley opened a door to a flight of stairs; he observed that the hallway below him was slightly flooded. Urgency was on his mind so he didn’t mind having his shoes be a bit wet. When he came to the next door, however, this one didn’t decide to budge.  
“Why won’t this stupid door budge?” Wesley yelled, pushing against the door.

The AI responded to his question immediately.  _Scans show the room beyond this door has flooded. It would be best not to go in... I advise you find a way over it._

Looking around, Wesley saw a ladder that was lowered, “This should lead to the roof…” Wesley said. Hopping onto the ladder, he climbed his way upward.

When he reached the roof, he nearly fell back down the ladder at what he saw. The sky had turned red, and several tentacles were wrapped several buildings, the same ones assaulted the grand hall and took the Grand Protector.

“Wha- What is happening!?” Wesley exclaimed, standing on the roof to look at the destruction, while distant screaming and yelling filled his ears.

_The scale of this disaster is immeasurable; the destruction occurring is beyond my capacity to quantify. You must leave this planet immediately._

“L-LEAVE?!” Wesley yelled, “What will I do then?!” Probably not computing an answer himself, the AI stayed silent. Wesley stood there for a moment, not believing what was just happening.

 _We are running out of time._ The AI pestered, _I have found a route through that air duct there, please enter it to proceed forward!_

After crawling his way out of the air duct, Wesley moved his way through a building connection made mostly of glass. Of course, the connector was ruined by another tentacle which gripped the underside of it. There, Wesley found another dirt pile, taking the Matter Manipulator out again, he quickly worked his way through the pile.

The connection leads him to some kind of the cargo hold for shuttles and spaceships. Wesley’s eyes immediately moved towards a sturdy brown looking chest with black and yellow ticker on the sides of the chest sitting on a conveyer belt.

_The chest sitting on that conveyor belt should contain some kind of weapon. Please arm yourself!_

Wesley didn’t wait, having a weapon at this time would be great. “Maybe it’s some kind of gun…” Wesley thought as he opened the chest. He instead found a sword made of Titanium, but the sword was chipped and dull.

“Are you kidding me?” Wesley said, picking up the sword, “I expected something that would protect me better, not some rusty sword!” A large rumbling came from behind him. The building connection he was just on a few minutes ago gave way and collapsed. Wesley took this as a sign of how bad things were and rushed forward, his new sword in hand.

He could see a small corvette-class ship docked outside, the only problem was a tentacle a bit larger than his size was blocking his way. When he tried to walk past it, it only knocked him away. Furious at how a tentacle this small could block his way, he raised his sword over his head and sliced the tentacle in two. Feeling the foundation of the building rumble after slicing the tentacle, Wesley ran towards the ship.

_I have bypassed the preflight checks. Get aboard!_

Wesley didn’t wait for a response, he jumped into the open cargo bay door and closed it. He ran into the bridge of the class, he had never flown a Spacecraft before, so he scanned the buttons. One certain button he saw read ‘EMERGENCY TAKEOFF’, seeing how that was clearly the one he needed, he hit it. The ship moved upwards immediately and removed the landing legs.

“I did it!” Wesley said, proud of himself. Suddenly he was flown backwards at the sudden thrust of the craft. He flew to the back of the ship, where he was knocked out by hitting the back wall. The Spacecraft quickly flew upwards, exiting the atmosphere of Earth for the final time.


	3. Isolation

“Agh…”

Wesley woke up on his back, but he was not on a comfortable bed.

“Where- where am I?” he wondered.

His vision was blurry, but immediately he could see that he was in a space-faring vessel, as his eyes saw panels of space-grade hull plating.

Wesley tried to get a better view on where exactly he was by sitting up, but his head throbbed at his action, causing his hand to hold the back of his head. His vision wobbled and he blinked several times trying to focus.

“I think I have a concussion…” Wesley mumbled.

Taking a look at himself, he noticed he wore the blue standard issue Protectorate Academy Uniform, and he also had casual wear underneath his uniform, which he found weird. He also had a wristwatch attached to him, but the small screen seemed to have been broken by some force. Trying to further piece where he was, he was altered by a distant computerized voice.

_Please reboot the system._

Something about the voice sounded- _familiar_ to him. Mustering whatever strength he had, Wesley stood up and walked toward the source of the voice. Maybe there he could find some answers.

Now that he was up and walking, he could see his surroundings a lot better. He was definitely somewhere in space, by looking outside the windows he passed. Something else he also found interesting is the ship seemed to be orbiting a planet which would be classified as a ‘Lush’ class planet, and nearly mistook it for earth until he saw the continents, as they looked nothing like Earth’s.

The ship itself currently was powered down, probably because of an emergency which caused the ship to stall. This was supported when Wesley saw how broken and mangled the insides looked, he shuddered to think how the outside looked. He noticed a Ship Locker after a few steps, he fiddled with a bit until he found that the lock was electronic. The only way to open it was to restore power to the ship.

Coming to another panel, he saw that it was a computer panel, specially made to house a central AI matrix which overlooked the well-being of the ship. The panel itself was frozen on an indefinite waiting symbol which was imprinted on a blue human-shaped figure. Sometimes the panel repeated the same message he heard earlier. Wesley never was an expert in electronics, he mostly studied on the environmental aspect on engineering, but he knew enough about how to maintain a personalized AI.

After working with the panel a bit to set the system to reboot, all the ship lights started turning on, showing that the power was returning to the ship. A previously unseen generator whirled to life, powering the ship's locker and the teleporter.

_Rebooting. . ._

The blue AI figure’s face rematerialized as the system finished the reboot process.

 _Greetings, Wesley Smith._ The AI said. _I am S.A.I.L., your Ship-Based Artificial Intelligence Lattice. I manage the maintenance of this ship. I am also programmed to offer you information, advice, and to look after your well-being._ The AI paused for a brief second. _You seem confused. Would you like to start a query?_

“Yes-” Wesley started, taking a deep breath, “Where am I? How did I get here? Where is everyone?”

 _Processing queries. . ._ S.A.I.L.’s face turned into an hourglass which periodically flipped over every few seconds.

_Previous data records state that Earth was attacked by an unknown force, and was subsequently annihilated._

“Earth? Gone?” Wesley asked, “How did this-” he paused in the middle of his words. Suddenly he remembered everything.

The academy, the graduation, the tentacles,

The destruction.

Wesley’s knees dropped to the floor, holding his head in his hands. “No…” Wesley said, “No this can’t be happening! This must be a dream!” Wesley yelled, “This must be a bad dream…” he curled in a fetal position. “No…” he said, tears stinging his eyes, “Everything is gone… Everything I worked so hard for…” he remained there for several minutes, crying into his knees.

Without receiving any additional input to pause, S.A.I.L. continued his report. 

_The ship’s navigation systems were damaged in our escape. Our location is currently unknown. The ship is immobile, but we have established a stable orbit around this planet. I suggest you beam down to the planet’s surface via the teleporter and search for supplies and perhaps a means of fixing the ship._

Wesley silently got up. “Where do I start? I don’t even have anything to help me survive…” he asked.

_The ship’s locker contains an emergency supply kit. I am detecting medical materials, unlit torches, a flashlight, canned food with a subsequent can opener, along with a basic gas lighter. I am also detecting a poorly maintained titanium broadsword and a Matter Manipulator inside the cargo bay. I suggest you gather these supplies before you beam down._

Wesley turned toward the ship's locker, walking towards it. With the power restored, Wesley was able to easily open the locker and access its contents. There he found a single bag sitting in there. He took it and explored the contents to verify what was in it. Inside had all the tools and materials from an emergency supply kit. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he walked back to the cargo bay with the teleporter. He found the titanium sword and the Manipulator back there. The sword was, of course, in bad condition, but Wesley didn’t have any room to be picky.

When he picked up the Manipulator, he did so slowly. He was still marveling at the piece of technology, but it also brought recent, painful memories, back to his mind. “Leda Porter…” he mumbled to himself, “I’ll make you proud.” Attaching the manipulator and the sword to his belt, he walked toward the teleporter. “S.A.I.L., beam me down.” He said. His body was enveloped in a field of yellow, compressing him down into a yellow ball and sent him towards the planet.

 

* * *

 

When Wesley landed, he immediately took a breath of fresh air. He wasn’t used to beaming down as some other students were, and he had a bad habit of holding his breath while beaming down. Looking around, he found himself between a grassy meadow and a small forest. Thinking of what to do next, he looked around a bit, trying to find a good spot to set up a basic camp. After finding a good spot, he placed a torch down to mark his camp.

First, he needed some firewood. Turning toward the small forest near him, he went to gather some wood. He’d never worked with wood before, but he had broken down dirt into compressed blocks, so he supposed he could do the same with a tree. Shortly afterward he toppled over a tree, yelling timber as the tree fell; he’d always wanted to say that. Wesley used the manipulator to break the tree into logs. One by one he carried the logs over to his marked spot.

Within a couple of hours, he had completed a basic campsite with a campfire. Just in time, as the sun was setting in the sky. Wesley sat on a log he set down, using it as a bench, and warmed himself near the fire he had made. He sat there for a bit, resting from his work. Even though the manipulator made collecting and moving things a lot easier, it still took a lot of strenuous work to get his base camp set up.

Suddenly his stomach growled, when was the last time he ate? Rummaging through his bag, he found the can opener and cans with what he assumed was similar to an MRE meal he had in the army before. He didn’t have any eating utensils with him so he just slowly ate the contents of one can by hand. The cold food inside tasted revolting to him, but he had nothing else to eat, so he ate it in silence. After finishing off the can of food, he felt even more drowsy than before. He figured he should get some rest, but where? He eventually decided to rest on a relatively soft patch of ground near his campsite, as uncomfortable as it was. He laid there awake for a while, lost in thought.

He thought his first day was fine, he had been able to set up a camp by himself. But he wasn’t alone on this planet. He found many kinds of critters, some even reminded him of wildlife back on earth. Some creatures, though, were aggressive when he approached them. Some he encountered were orange colored slimes, little nutmeg shaped blobs, and a beige and black creature which sang a cheery song, but tried to bite him when he approached. Each monster he had come across he had dealt with easily, save a few bites from the singing creature.

He never knew when he fell asleep, but he was awoken by his wristwatch. Mumbling to himself, he noticed it was early morning, as a canopy of stars shined in the sky. Looking at his wristwatch, he was surprised that it was still working, despite the cracked screen.

 _I have a report, Wesley Smith._ S.A.I.L.’s recognizable voice proclaimed. _My scans indicate there is some kind of archaic energy source on this planet._

Wesley’s eyes widened at this report, was there kind of civilization here on this planet?

_I estimate a 32% chance that it is worth investigating, and a 98% chance that you have nothing better to do._

“Where did you find this?” Wesley asked, and in response, his wristwatch generated a blue color hologram. The hologram itself was shaped like an arrow, and it pointed towards the woods, where he had harvested wood from earlier. When Wesley moved his arm, the arrow recalibrated in the original direction it was pointing. Checking his gear and putting out his campfire, he set off in the direction where the arrow pointed, periodically checking his wristwatch to verify he was going the right direction.

 

* * *

 

When Wesley made his way through the forest, he was greeted with a giant gate what he assumed was some kind of ancient structure. Curiously, he saw no signs of natural overgrowth upon the gate. Wesley approached the gate by walking up a flight of stairs that lead to the gateway. Marveling at the architecture, he came across a panel directly in front of the gateway. He only assumed this operated something in the gateway, but fiddling with it proved fruitless. Thinking of what to do with this new discovery, his wristwatch beeped, alerting Wesley of an incoming report.

 _My scans are picking up an unknown radio signal around this archaic energy source._ S.A.I.L. reported.

“A radio signal?” Wesley asked.

 _I will patch it through to you now._ S.A.I.L. responded.

After a few seconds of static, Wesley’s wristwatch played back the radio message that was isolated.

_“If you've picked up this message, you must have found an Ancient Gateway - please use it to come and find me. You can power up the Gate with Core Fragments. Please hurry!”_

The voice from the message immediately sounded female, but a closer listen signified that it was an older-aged woman, human-sounding in nature. Wesley was relieved to hear another voice other than his AI, but was confused and worried that this message was specifically delivered to him. Concluding that he didn’t have anything better to do, Wesley asked S.A.I.L., “Where can I find these core fragments?” he asked.

 _Scanning. . ._ S.A.I.L. turned into an hourglass as he processed. _I have scanned for nearby Core Fragments. They appear naturally within the geology of this planet; readings suggest numerous ore clusters deep below the ground, near the planet's centre._ Wesley was about to protest, but S.A.I.L. continued, _I have, however, found core fragments closer to the surface. I recommend you proceed to the waypoint I have marked through your wristwatch._ Wesley’s wristwatch showed the hologram of the arrow again, pointing him towards a hilly area.

The waypoint lead him towards an old abandoned mine entrance. Wesley looked at his wristwatch, and the arrow pointed downwards, indicating the core fragments were down inside the mine.

 _I am detecting a variety of life signs in this mine. If you are intending to search it for core fragments, I may advise adequately preparing yourself first._ S.A.I.L. reported.

Wesley gulped at this report, but he was determined to follow this lead he had found. Checking his medical supplies and his sword, he descended into the mines.

The mines were what he expected them to look like, wooden supports lined the walls with unlit lanterns surrounded by stone walls. Shining his flashlight around, he found wooden crates and deactivated floodlights. Seeing how the crates didn’t belong to anybody anymore, he helped himself to their contents. All he found was some metal ores and mining materials, which he couldn’t use at the moment. One specific crate held something of high interest to Wesley, a standard issue laser pistol packed inside a crate. Why it was in that crate he didn’t know, and he didn’t care.

He wondered when he was going to need to use this gun, and the opportunity presented itself sooner than expected when something whizzed passed him. He whirled around to find a green monster that he only assumed look like a slug and a snake together. Wesley looked back toward what just barely missed him and saw that the box he just looked into was missing a corner, dissolved by some kind of acid. Whatever the creature shot had dissolved the corner of the box. Turning back to face the monster, he had little time to react before it spat another projectile at him. Narrowly avoiding it, he quickly aimed his pistol and fired it at the monster. His shot hit the creature directly in the center, killing it instantly.

“That- was AWESOME!” Wesley said, looking at his gun. He examined the pistol further, the gun itself did not require as much ammunition like normal handguns did, but Wesley figured he’d need to maintain it eventually if he were to use it. Shining his flashlight around, he found no other critters that were waiting to jump on him, so he descended further downward.

“How close am I to the core fragments?” Wesley asked S.A.I.L.

 _You are approaching the estimated position of a cache of core fragments, but there are also several life signatures surrounding the fragments. I recommend you prepare your weapons._ S.A.I.L. responded.

Coming to a wooden door, Wesley propped himself against and put his ear to it. He heard the same tune he heard yesterday sung by a certain monster, but he heard it in some kind of chorus. Unsure of how many were beyond the door, and remembering the vile bites he received from one of them earlier, he considered his options.

Slowly, he opened the door, he didn’t plan on shining his flashlight, but he didn’t need to as the room beyond was fully lit by torches. Inside, he saw several monsters looking the same as the one he found the other day, except one of them was about four times their size and three times Wesley’s height. He started to slowly close the door, but as soon as he started doing so, all the monsters stopped their singing and suddenly looked his way. The giant monster strode towards him and ripped the door out of its frame, leaving Wesley frightened and without any cover. Yelling, Wesley fired his pistol at the monster, which only agitated it more. It swung its giant arm at him, knocking him away and into a pack of the smaller ones.

Wesley was now cornered by a pack of these monsters and their big leader. He looked around desperately to try to find something that could help him. He instead found a giant metal bin full of red-orange colored crystals. The bin bore an explosive warning symbol on the container. Before he could devise a better plan, he was rushed by the mob of monsters, with the giant one romping back towards him. Swinging his sword wildly, he knocked away every single creature that leapt at him.

The last of the smaller monsters was knocked away, leaving just the giant one left. The giant creature swiped at him again, but this time he deftly dived under the swing. Turning back towards his adversary, he saw that the monster was now between him and the bin of crystals. Taking aim at the top of the crystal pile, he fired towards it. The bin exploded with such a force that Wesley was knocked back towards where the wooden door frame was.

After a few minutes of recomposing himself, he saw that the explosion had destroyed all the torches in the area, and he was the only living thing there now. He had barely stood on his feet when his wristwatch beeped.

_I applaud your bravery on surviving such an impossible scenario, but the explosion set off was caused by core fragments._

Wesley immediately slapped his forehead, of course the thing he was looking for saved his life, but he now had possibly blown up his only chance of following the lead he had.

 _Fortunately,_ S.A.I.L. started, _There seems to be core fragments intact. I estimate 20 core fragments located in this area. I suggest you gather these fragments and return to the gateway._

 

* * *

 

It was nearly night time again when Wesley made it back to the gateway with the core fragments. He had sustained some injuries in his search, so he was treating them with the salves inside his medical kit. He walked back up to the panel he saw earlier. Looking around at the panel, he found a small canister with a pile of dust filling a portion of the container. He determined this is what powered the panel. After prying the canister open, he placed the crystals he had gathered into the canister, barely topping it off.

When he placed the canister back into the panel, it suddenly roared to life. Ancient looking letters and texts decorated the panel, save a single button which read ‘ACTIVATE PORTAL’. Wesley supposed this is what he needed to do to find the source of the message, so pressed the screen to activate the portal. When he did, an area inside the gateway swarmed with purple energy which seemed to tear through space and time.

 _You appear to have successfully activated the gate. And it seems another message is coming through._ S.A.I.L. reported.

 _"Please come. I urgently require help; the universe depends on it. Use this Ancient Gateway and meet me in the Ark ruins, just past the Outpost."_ the message ended as the purple energy stabilized into a portal, which showed the preview of a space trading station built on an asteroid.

The voice was the same he had heard on the radio message before. Why did she want to meet him so bad? Why did the universe depend on their meeting? What is the Outpost? What are the Ark ruins? Wesley wondered, several questions coming to his mind. Finding no other way but to obey the request of the mysterious messages, he walked towards the portal to try to find some answers.


End file.
